THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOUR / LA SOCIETE CANADIENNE DE PEINTURES EN AQUARELLE
Welcome to 2022 from our VP’s
Ephemera on My Mind… By Marlene Madole – First Vice President
At the start of the new year I, like many of you, look forward to the new… new projects, paintings and places; this year more than most finds me returning to places that have meaning for me, celebrating in community… with friends, family, and fellow artists.
I am also looking forward to 2025 – our celebration of the CSPWC/SCPA Centenary and all of the events leading up that date. After spending 2021 doing online research about my husband’s great-grandfather’s history (e.g., the industry, cities, and companies in which he worked) using digitized periodicals, city directories and census records, I realized that similar archives held information about the CSPWC/SCPA.
I visited (online) the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Archives of Ontario, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, asking questions like: where were our earliest archival documents? And, who had which years of our exhibition catalogues? I even went to census records for Franklin Carmichael. (Born in 1890, at the April 23rd, 1901 census Frank was now 10 years old living with his parents and a younger brother at his home Town of Orillia, Ontario; by 1911 his family resided on Front Street, but Frank was working in Toronto. By the census of 1921, he was married to Ada, now a commercial artist earning $2,800 per year, owning his own 6-room home in the Township of York.)
Historical details like these are just clues to the lives and stories they represent. The artefacts and ephemera that provide such details are like invitations to those stories – a seat in the theatre
Farewell to 2021 – by Poppy Balser – 2nd Vice President and Education Committee Chairperson
Dear CSPWC Members,
Please join me in saying a firm farewell to 2021. It has been a year of challenges and frustrating disappointments, but also of innovation and resilience. Our Society has welcomed new elected members and almost doubled our associate membership roll. We have launched a new online education program, offering instruction over the course of the year. This has allowed members and other watercolour enthusiasts to learn from CSPWC instructors from across our broad nation.
Over the holidays, the CSPWC Education Committee has been hard at work lining up a great program of online events for the coming year. Our goal in these events is to introduce you to instructors you may not yet have had the opportunity to learn from and to inspire you in your own work. First this year is a Fireside Chat with Marlene Madole, CSPWC where she shares with us the heady early days of the CSPWC. In March we have a demonstration of poured watercolours with Leslie Lambert, CSPWC. And after that, well, I encourage you to visit cspwc.ca/education often to see what is coming up next.
May the joy found in painting guide your paintbrush in the coming year.
Update and Request from the Education Committee
We Need Your Help – request from Brian Turner- Education Committee Volunteer.
The Education Committee of the CSPWC has a great line up of online demos and presentations planned for the coming year. We would like to expand our invitations across Canada and we need help identifying local art associations in your communities.
Would you please take a minute to send the name of any and all art associations, clubs, societies etc that you are aware of in your surrounding area to Brian Turner at turnerbg52@gmail.com.
Thank you for your help – Brian
Coming Soon from CSPWC Education – by Meghan Dwyre, Education Committee Volunteer
The education committee is proud to announce the first event in its exciting 2022 line up. Please join us for the first ever CSPWC Fireside Chat!
With our growing membership, it’s time for us to revisit our roots and find out how our society came to be. We are pleased to host 1st Vice President, Past-President, Elected Member and resident expert Marlene Madole who will guide us through a deep dive into the past, illuminating the first 25 years of the CSPWC. Tales will include not only the forging of our path to create recognition and community for the fascinating medium of watercolour, but will also include spicy, sordid tales (even fisticuffs). Also featured in the tales of our past will be guest appearances by bonafide Canadian luminaries Emily Carr and David Milne.
If you’ve ever wondered how the CSPWC came to be, who was involved, and what was at stake, now is your chance to find out. Click here.
Registration for these coming events from CSPWC education will open soon:
February 1- March 15 2022: Winter Woods & Stream: Creating Atmosphere on a Cloudy Day, a streaming video from Shari Blaukopf, CSPWC
March 3, 2022: Going With the Flow of Poured Watercolours, an online watercolour demo with Leslie Lambert CSPWC
Our Lifetime Member’s Love of Colour – Valentine’s Day
It’s heart month! Valentine’s day and Family day are around the corner. Time to celebrate that which we love, that brings our heart joy.
Well, that has to include our love of colour. The tried-and-true colours we’ve come to rely on, have faith in and depend on to bring our visions to life.
What is the watercolour paint colour that you could not live without?
I reached to some of our most dedicated members, our life members and asked them that question. With a brief introduction for each of them, they then share their thoughts and stories on the colours they’ve come to know and love.
(A big thank you to each of you for your time and contribution to this issue! – CSPWC Admin.)
Linda Finn – Life Member 2008
Linda Finn became an elected member of the CSPWC in 1987 and says “I can’t believe that it was that long ago! I still remember the thrill of getting a letter from President Os Timmas, congratulating me on my election to the CSPWC.”
“Living in Elliot Lake for forty-seven years has given me a wonderful appreciation for the northern Ontario landscape, especially all the lakes and rivers.
Her colour: Cobalt Blue by Winsor Newton
“This is a colour I could not live without. I discovered this hue early in my painting life, and no other blue can compare with it, although Cerulean Blue and French Ultramarine (also by Winsor Newton) are right up there as favourites as well.”
“Here is one of my favourite paintings, done in 2001, of my husband and me on a canoe trip on the French River. Titled ‘Balance’, it was painted on a full sheet of Arches 300 lb. CP paper. Water, especially reflections in water, continue to be a source of inspiration for me.”
ray cattell – life member 1996
Ray Cattell was elected to the society in 1965, acted as president in 1977-1979 and voted a life member in 1996. Now over 100 years old, his daughter Tori assisted him with his article.
Ray’s Favourite colour: Cyprus Green
“My favourite colour is Cyprus Green/Vert de Chypre, manufactured a long time ago in France by Lefranc & Bourgeois, and currently unavailable.
I discovered it one day when I was simply meandering through an art store, as painters do, and immediately liked the look of it! I hadn’t seen it before, and I wanted to try it out. At the time, I had no idea it was made from a rare, naturally occurring earth found in the ancient oceanic crust of Cyprus, the culling of which is now highly restricted due to environmental and political concerns. I really only looked into its history in response to this cspwc newsletter!
Fortunately, I ended up buying several tubes of this paint before it was discontinued, and they have happily kept me going over the years! In hue, Cyprus Green is close to Pantone 375 if you want to check it out online. Apparently, you can still purchase Cypriot earth as a pigment-powder, but who knows if it is as vibrant as the former Lefranc & Bourgeois recipe?
“I love the way Cyprus Green can be mixed with other colours to create the kind of colours I want to put down, especially when mixed with Payne’s Gray or Indigo. It has the right feel. It belongs as a transparent colour yet is powerful enough to be mixed with other colours without losing its clarity. I often use it as a field of colour to work over and into with other colours.
The First Snow 30” x 40” is one of my watercolours that shows these effects.
Jane Hunter – Life Member 2007
Jane Hunter is a resident of Sarnia, Ontario. She became a member of the C.S.P.W.C. in 1978 and voted a life member in 2007.
Jane’s favourite paint colour is Windsor Newton’s Aureolin Yellow
“It’s the only yellow in my limited palette of transparent and transparent staining colours.
I am very taken with its ability to provide pale washes when needed and yet become a powerful brilliant pigment when applied more generously.
When I am painting skies I always begin with a soft glaze of Aureolin, adding more glazes of other transparent watercolours as well as more Aureolin until the desired atmospheric effect is achieved. It warms up snow with sunlight as well as many other natural objects and makes lovely gentle greens.
When mixed with other transparents it is always a joy to see what transpires!
The painting shown below, after being called the Pandemic Painting because It took me many months to finish over the last two years is now properly named “Bountiful”. It is a compilation of most of the flowers grown in our garden over the last fifty some years and everything yellow is painted with Aureolin, from the palest to the richest hues. Many of the whites are touched with the sunlight of Aureolin. “
John Inglis – Life Member 2010
John Inglis resides in Toronto and became a member of the CSPWC in 1977. He was elected a Life Member in 2010.
“Over these past 45 years it has been a privilege to be included in most of the society’s annual exhibitions. And further, it has been a special pleasure to have met many talented and dedicated members a number of whom in their generosity, have kept the society functioning. Fortunately, our shows have included a variety of forms of expression that reflect the nature of the radical shifts in all aspects of our contemporary culture – for instance in the visual arts, from the traditional to the abstract and so on. As to the question .…”what is my favourite colour” I am inclined to say that blue in its variety of choices would be high on my list.
In retrospect, since childhood, there has been an intrinsic affinity with Ontario’s wonderfully rich natural environment. However, in depicting some aspects of its mood and the variety of its settings, I have not felt inclined to attempt a literal rendering of it.
And as for colours i don’t feel limited to any one favourite example in the available range of possible choices. It’s a matter of selecting a colour that is needed for giving creative expression to a visual art idea.”
Life Membership – Nominations Open till February 28th
Do you have a fellow Elected Member of CSPWC that you would like to nominate for Life Membership? This honour is awarded to individual elected members who have made a significant contribution over a sustained period to the CSPWC and/or to the art of watercolour painting in Canada.
Any elected member may nominate someone for Life Membership by writing to the Board of the Corporation C/O the Administrator at least two months in advance of the AGM, May 7th.
Nominees for Life Membership are reviewed by the Board of Directors. Names of the approved candidates are voted on by the membership at the AGM. We would need your nomination by Feb 28.
If you are new to the society or don’t know who the CSPWC Life Members are, they are listed here:
| Ray Cattell, ON Neville Clarke, ON Michael Cleary, BC Pat Clemes, ON Pat Fairhead, ON North Linda Finn, Northern ON Martha West Gayford, ON Jane Hunter, ON West John Inglis, ON Linda Kemp, ON West Brent Laycock, AB | Marlene Madole, ON Peter Marsh, ON Tom McNeely, ON Alice Reed, Atlantic Edward Shawcross, ON West Robert W. Sinclair, AB Margaret L. Squire, ON Rudolf Stussi, Switzerland Vivian Thierfelder, AB Rayne Tunley, ON |
Save these Dates:
Here are 2 dates to note on your calendar:
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Saturday May 7th. It will be a Zoom Meeting so all our members and associates can attend.
Planning is in the works for a live Symposium in Harrison Hot Springs, set for August 22-28, 2022
FOR MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES TO CONNECT:
Our private Facebook page is there for you to share your work with others in our society, join the conversation. Look for this group the next time you are in Facebook: ‘CSPWC members connecting with members.’
Member News:
Rudolf Stussi Announces:
“This Spring a book of my Swiss paintings, titled Swiss Twist in the English version and Schweiz Schräg in the German, is scheduled for publication by the Swiss publisher Benteli. Exhibitions in Lucerne, Chur, Ascona, and possibly Zurich will follow. Info will appear on my website, www.rudolfstussi.com.”
Congrats to Merv Richardson! His painting “The Path” (photo at side) was awarded the bronze medal in the California Watercolor Association exhibition. In addition it has been chosen for the cover of their exhibition catalogue. The opening has been moved to March 5th.
Associate’s News
Sandra Woods began painting in 2021 to help with her chronic pain and cognitive impairment from a rare disease. She is thrilled to have her watercolour “Promenade en Camargue, Provence” in the “Entre Nous 2002” exhibition at the historic Trestler House in Montréal; January 20 to March 13, 2022:
lang=enhttps://www.trestler.qc.ca/expositions-en-cours?lang=en
And her painting “Hummingbird” is among the 68 works included in the Artists in Montréal (AiM) “Valentine’s Day Virtual Art Show”, running from February 1 to 29, 2022.
Tiina Price’s painting, WOODLAND WONDER, has been juried into the first stage of the International Watercolour Society Chile online exhibition…CONCURSO ONLINE ACUARELA RAPIDA.
She has also received the IWM WORLD CONTEST TOP 200 MERIT AWARD for my painting, AT ANCHOR, CINQUE TERRE, (pictured in our last newsletter) when it advanced from Top 300 paintings out of 3725 in November, to TOP 200 in the final jurying late December.
Bhairavi Jathar Talpade’s art is on display at Hamilton’s heritage site
Bhairavi was invited to display music-related art at Hamilton’s heritage site in the Anne Foster Windows. This display is up from Oct 2021- to Feb 2022. There are different artworks including, two banners created in watercolors sized 50x 70 inches. These banners consist of Calligraphy in the shape of Indian musical instruments on the background of Fall and winter scenes. This art is commissioned for Anne Foster Windows by Hamilton Tourism and culture division. (Ink was used for Calligraphy)
Workshops
PLEASE JOIN BONNIE STEINBERG IN HER CONTINUING ONLINE WATERCOLOUR AND DRAWING CLASSES FOR WINTER AND SPRING 2022.A VARIETY OF CLASSES AND DATES AND ONLINE WORKSHOPS WILL BE AVAILABLE. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE DO CONTACT BONNIE AT:
watercolours@rogers.com. Please see website HERE
Opportunities
ECHOES, Juried Show takes place at the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC), on March 12 -30 2022. Apply HERE
Ken Call the National show chairperson for the Illinois Watercolor Society shared that they are holding their 38th National Exhibition.
See the link HERE for more info about this show.
CSPWC Remembers Harriet Estelle Manore Carter
We’ve received sad news of the passing of Harriet Estelle Manore Carter on November 30, 2021, at the age of 93. Harriet became an elected member of CSPWC in 1970.
Her family shares that she was a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Expressing herself through her art was something that she did from a young age, she was encouraged by her mother to expand on her talents. And they are so incredibly proud of her and her accomplishments.
After working as a commercial designer for a glass company from 1948-1951 and Harriet never looked back. Some of her accomplishments included exhibitions at the National Academy Gallery in New York, City (1972), Harbour Front, Toronto (1975), Art Gallery of Ontario (1975-1976), Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagoya (1976), Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and British Columbia, to name but a few. Many private and corporate collections, including the Royal Art Gallery include her works. Harriet received numerous awards of recognition for her many years as a still life artist. Harriet was very proud of her membership with the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Ontario Society of Artists.
Harriet was humble and once said “Any success is enjoyed, but they are far and few between for any artist. Most of my successes can be credited to my agent Joan Martyn of Nancy Pooles Studio.”
She will be missed by so many.
Below is an image of the untitled Diploma Collection piece we have for her that she submitted back in 1970.
